There are a couple of games involving five dice which are referred to as poker dice. In the most traditional sense, poker dice is a dice equivalent of a five-card poker game. Two or more players compete against each other and the player with the best outcome, defined by an established hierarchy like in card-based poker, wins the game. An example of a possible outcome hierarchy is:                5 of a kind (all 5 dice have same pip value, e.g. 2-2-2-2-2)        4 of a kind (4 dice have same pip value, the other die does not match, e.g. 2-2-2-2-5)        Full House (3 dice have same pip value and 2 other dice have a different matching pip value, e.g. 2-2-2-5-5)        Straight (the 5 dice pip values are in sequential order, i.e. 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6)        Three of a kind (3 dice have same pip value, the other dice do not match, e.g. 2-2-2-4-5)        Two Pair: (2 dice have the same pip value, 2 other dice have a different matching pip value, the fifth dice does not match, e.g. 2-2-5-5-3)        One Pair (2 dice have same pip value, the other dice do not match, e.g. 2-2-3-4-6)        
Poker dice can be played as a “stud” game whereby the player gets to throw the dice once to generate a final outcome. This can also be played as a “draw” game whereby the player can optionally elect to re-roll one or more dice to improve his outcome as occurs in an equivalent draw poker game.
For example, for a stud game, the following pay table could be offered whereby the player would receive the listed award multiplier for any of the listed outcomes relative to his wager:
OUTCOMEAWARD5 of a kind50-1 4 of a kind10-1 full house5-13 of a kind2-12 pair1-1For any other outcome, the player loses his wager.
There are a number of wagering games whereby the player has the ability to wager on different types of results for the same outcome. A good example of this is ball-style wagering games in the United Kingdom such as “Balls” on www.ladbrokes.com, “Lucky Square” on www.bluesq.com or “Rolling Stones” on www.stanleyinstants.com whereby players wager on outcomes of six drawn numbers which also have a color or shape associated with each number. The wager opportunities include predictions regarding the color/shape as well as outcomes involving the numbers, the sum of numbers, the pattern of numbers, etc.
The term “skill” has many possible connotations in wagering games. For the purposes herein, the following definitions apply:
Strategic Skill Game: A game where the player makes decisions that affect his or her ability to win. Examples include blackjack and video poker.
Physical Skill Game (a/k/a a Twitch Game): A game where some physical skill, like timing a button press, affects the outcome. Amusement slot machines in Florida have skill stop buttons for each reel to overcome any reel weighting. “Skill With Prize” machines in Europe often have a true skill mechanism where a level in a bonus “thermometer” moves up and down randomly at a quick pace and stops when a player presses a button.
Pseudo-Skill Game: A game with the appearance that it may offer some level of physical control over the outcome. The dart game in Bally Gaming's Game Magic makes players think that their ability to launch and initially direct the darts can somehow affect where they land. Some “Skill With Prize” slot machines are Pseudo-Skill insofar as it may look to some players that there actions can affect the outcome when in reality they do not.
Some slot game are offered in a grid configuration such that at each grid intersection, a symbol is randomly selected and displayed and the player wins if certain orders or patterns of symbols appear along horizontal, vertical or diagonal pay line on which the player has placed a wager. An example of this is the Vacation USA™ 4×4 slot which can be seen at www.hardrockcasino.com or www.skybetvegas.com.
Many wagering games, especially those implemented via a video game component or as an Internet-based game, offer bonus rounds whereby the player is given the opportunity to earn extra rewards than those usually possible in standard play. Some such games may require an extra wager for such an opportunity, as with the game “Multi-Hand Blackjack with 1000× Bonus” on www.hardrockcasino.com or www.skybetvegas.com. One specific game may have the bonus available to all players, such as with the “Bananarama 5” reel game offered on both of the previously listed websites. Another specific game may have the bonus available to a player who has met a certain betting threshold, such as the “Plinko Bonus of The Price is Right 5” reel slot game offered on both of the previously listed Web sites.
There continues to be a need for a new method of conducting and playing wagering games premised on the use of dice.